Next Lifetime IBTH Part II
by Unbridled.mind
Summary: Continuation to In Between the Heartaches. Antonio and Nicole are forced together once again to confront the past and take on the challenges of the present when someone returns to threaten everything they have and once shared.
1. Chapter 1

Hey guys, I'm back. I needed a little break you know? I read over my four fics recently and realised how much I liked In Between The Heartaches. Inspired by Kelsey Scott (the screenwriter of Motives and Motives 2: Retribution) I decided to further explore these characters' motivations in this new context. Thanks for sticking with me or catching on then sticking with me. As always; enjoy.

- Unbridled.Mind

* * *

_Five years later_.

A little girl swung her legs back and forth under the Italian leather seat. The green laces of her sneakers were undone, matching the grass stains on her shorts. Born a high-maintenance tomboy, her mother already pre-empted what she going to say.

"Mommy, I'm_bored_." Nicole smiled at the dramatic prolonging of the last syllable; she had taught her well.

"I know sweetie, just be patient. We'll be home soon." She replied although the scattered files on her desk said otherwise.

"How soon?"

"Sooner than you think." Nicole clutched the once-misplaced report in her left hand and answered the phone with her right.

"Silvia, I found it. Tell A.D. Marshall she'll have it by morning."

"Great. There's a Mr. Antonio Cortez here to see you."

The papers descended to the floor and at the mention of his name it was hard to think straight. "Send him in." She managed to say before regretting it. Their last encounter was hollow and taxing and led to minimal subsequent contact, bar Christmas and Birthday cards. All she knew of him was what she overheard, not that she dared to ask; she couldn't afford to get involved when the price was too high to pay.

"Scott." He said, as she gathered the papers she dropped into a folder for the out tray.

"Williams." She corrected him, knowing he had deliberately ignored the wooden sign on her office door. She held out her hand in routine formality, shook his firmly and introduced her daughter. "This is Angela. Angie, this is my old friend Antonio."

"How old is he?"

Antonio tried to answer her rhetorical question. "She meant we go back a…."

"She knows." Nicole informed him. "My daughter, the comedian."

As Angela waved from her seat, the beaded bracelet on her wrist shook. "Hello."

"Hi. There's something I have to tell you."

"Something that brought you all the way from Seattle, it must be important."

"I thought it would be better to tell you face to face."

"I wish I could stay...let's say nine."

"P.M.?"

"Yeah. I have to take her home and do all that mom stuff first. What'd you say?"

He couldn't argue when all he wanted to do was lose himself in a gaze at the woman who used to drive him crazy with her ways. Now she fit a new mould, one he never thought was possible. Not that he was dissatisfied with his own life, with Xiomara carrying their fourth child he had no reason to be, Nicole just made him curious.

"Nine is good."

"You don't mean that _but_ I'll see you then. Come on nosy." She called to Angela who watched them interact observantly, picking up the energy she couldn't yet understand.

She kissed Angela on the cheek after she fell asleep to "The house that went to sea." After seeing Antonio she felt like a human cocktail whose emotions had been shaken not stirred. That's why seeing Rashad's face, though later than they had agreed, fed her the calm she needed to digest for peace's sake. Her muscles relaxed just by being in his presence. However the voice on her cell phone line made her jaw tense up a little.

"You were right, nine isn't good for me. I'll see you tomorrow."

She couldn't read his tone so she placidly agreed. "Cool."

"What was that?" Rashad asked, in between the kisses he planted on her neck.

"A false alarm."

She kissed him as though nothing mattered though the pit of her stomach told her otherwise. The sense that a storm was coming had arrived at the front door of the feelings and she couldn't deny it. Especially when she was right. After he checked on Angela, his six-foot-four frame was so close to her that he invaded whatever private space she had left. Usually she didn't mind but that night her thoughts ran wild with the speculation of Antonio's cause.

"Nikki, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, really."

"Are you s…?"

"Shh. Less talk, more naked."

As the S.A.I.C. of the Sacramento field office, Nicole was a long way away from the ambitious twenty-four year old who broke the rules and almost her neck on the hunt for Annette Burns. Now, she was an irrefutably different person and that fact, though regrettably, was acknowledged most by Antonio who hadn't seen her in over four years.

"So," She started, interrupting his contemplation. "What's up?"

"Warfield's getting a deal in exchange for Marlon Harris."

In her career, Nicole had encountered Harris so often they were on first name terms. After spending eleven months on an inter-departmental case with the DEA in Las Vegas, he offered her a job under the premise that she was the only person on Earth who could ever bring him down, though it might kill her to do it. He was one of the top-ten distributors of Opium in the country and his business was going into its thirtieth year.

"To think; it all started with a poppy field in Myanmar." She sighed, already anticipating phone calls from Harris' defence attorney, the District Attorney of Virginia and Warfield himself in the next forty-eight hours." Antonio disclosed the information Warfield was rumoured to give to secure his deal.

"Are you sure he's not bluffing?"

"I don't think he can."

She was silent for a while. "So why are you telling me all this?"

They made definite eye contact. "You'd do the same for me."

She nodded. "Yeah I would. You look happy." He didn't know exactly what she meant and for once it didn't frustrate him like it used to.

"I am." His eyes travelled across the many pictures of Angela that sat around her office until they landed on their family portrait. He fixated on it until she picked it up.

"It's strange how things turn out."

Something inside wouldn't allow him to speak; everything he prepared to tell her left his mind and his vocabulary reverted to that of a child. "It is." He cleared his throat and stood up. "So now you know, take care."

"I always do."

They both managed to crack a smile that was as awkward as it was sincere. His palm was clammy when he shook her soft hand and moved in closer to cordially kiss both her cheeks. Somehow he inhaled the scent to Thierry Mugler's _Alien_ lovelessly; it didn't rouse emotion in him anymore. She wished him well but it wasn't lip service, just maturity that was long overdue. Besides, the same gut instinct that told her danger was well on its way confirmed she would see him again and, Warfield's return wasn't the only thing they had left to confront together.


	2. Chapter 2

Hi guys; so glad to back you'll never know. When I was eight, I read Roll of Thunder, Hear my cry by the brilliant Mildred D. Taylor who showed me how much power there is in a pen/typewriter/keyboard/pencil etc. In short, that book is a masterclass in what it means to be a writer and inspires me to the current day (I think I've read all her stuff by now). If you understand my inspirations, hopefully you'll enjoy it more.

* * *

Antonio locked his arms around his wife's stomach, remembering the two previous occasions when his fingers couldn't touch. She had remained radiant and talkative throughout the years, but after a daughter, twins sons and her third bout with morning sickness; she fought the urge to strangle him.

"Did you have to go all the way there?"

"We already went through this." He murmured with his lips pressed against her wavy black hair.

"Antonio, don't cut me off like I don't matter."

"You do matter."

"I wanted you here. I need you here."

He held her a little tighter. "I am here."

She exhaled at his lack of grovelling. "The first scan is tomorrow."

"I know. Did you talk to the director at the Gallery?"

"Yeah. He loved my ideas; I can't wait to get back out there. So how is she?"

He hesitated in giving an answer.

_Big Stone Gap, Virginia. _

Being escorted down the concrete corridors of Wallens Ridge State Prison made Nicole understand why jail is no place for a child to visit. She recognized the man in desperate need of a shave, though barely. The weight loss from the prison diet had made him a shadow of the man he used to be physically; his frame was now wiry and his face was slim. She could hardly believe that that mouth used to offer salacious suggestions with tequila on his breath, kiss her on her neck, and turn men into mice with one reproach. His lawyer, Desmond Walls, sat beside him.

"Alex, long time no see."

"I see you still have trouble separating reality and fantasy Landon."

"That depends on who you walked in as. Judging by the bravado I'd say Nicole Scott. Not that we're familiar."

"You were always much _bigger_ in your mind. It didn't take much to cut you down to size."

"It didn't take much to progress from Tequila to _other things_."

Desmond interrupted their quick-witted reunion. "Now that we're acquainted, I trust you're aware of the finer details of my client's affidavit?"

"Of course." She replied, conscious that the cause of Landon's sleazy smile was his unbridled imagination. Even though she wore a fitted gray pinstripe suit, he had stripped her in seconds. "It won't suffice." Landon's face dropped much to her amusement. Instead of reaching across the table for her neck or at least to intimidate her as was customary, he whispered emphatically to his lawyer who had expected it.

"May I know why?" Desmond called her bluff to ascertain whether everything Landon had told him about her was true.

"That poppy field in Boyacá is of no use to us now, seeing as the Colombian government blew it up four weeks ago. Also, your client's alleged associate disclosed the location of the dock in Barranquilla recently. That export company is currently under investigation. So, if your client plans to see the sunrise outside of this parameter, before he needs a Zimmer frame, I'll need a lot more motivation."

Landon's flashback to Nicole's hard-edged negotiation gave him a pensive facial expression. She had come to recognize it in all men; it was the look they gave when presented with something unattainable.

"You've done your homework." He said without thinking or conferring.

"What Mr. Warfield means is…"

"Exactly what he said. Mr Walls, you've defended some notorious individuals. This case is no different." She stood up from the grey fold-out chair. "Until next time."

"We should meet again soon, to discuss matters." Desmond said, before she left.

"Only if they change." She called over her shoulder on the way out.

Pollock stared at her like he always did but couldn't find the energy to shake his head at her actions.

"You never stop, do you?"

"Look at where I am sir, is that worth asking?"

"District Attorney Tobin is in favour of his release."

"I know that but why not exploit the source while it's at our disposal?"

He smiled. "You paid attention. Nice Gold Rush analogy by the way. You know nothing comes without a sacrifice."

"True. I heard that Michael was going to VirginiaState."

"I wish. He chose UCLA instead." There was a pang of upset in his statement.

"Was it worth it sir? All these years seeing these four walls more than your kids, was it worth it?"

"If I knew the answer I'd tell you."

Although she took every short cut possible after heading back to the office, the road seemed never-ending. In that enclosed room she shaped her rapport with Landon by playing the offensive side and forcing him into defence. However that didn't make her any less worried about what her involvement could do to her family. It was around eleven by the time she threw her purse on the island counter and could honestly say the working day was over. Kicking off her shoes and pouring a glass of wine, an unexpected voice made her jump out of her skin.

"You work too much, you know."

"Mom! You can't sneak up on me like that."

Nina started to laugh but abruptly stopped when she saw the fear in Nicole's eyes. "Sorry baby."

"Where's Angela?"

"Recovering from sugar shock; sound asleep. Before you ask, yes I did read to her and your workaholic husband asked if you called the catering company about the cheesecakes for the conference."

"Okay, thanks."

"I would ask what's going on but that's not what I'm here for."

"Will I need a drink for this?" Nicole joked.

"Maybe two." Nina replied with severity.

Arriving late for lunch at the White Moose restaurant, her stilettos clicked against the wooden floors in the V.I.P. section. Harris brought company to their private meeting in the form of a ruthless Defence attorney Nicole had run in to frequently.

"Gail." Nicole's one-word greeting served as a synonym or euphemism for "bitch".

"Nicole." Gail replied in a similar fashion while sizing her up. They both power dressed like it was the 1980s, but instead of shoulder pads and hats, they used brand names as their weapons. Gail fought with Prada and Nicole wore Chanel as armour.

"Rumour has it I may be punching in surplus hours in the near future."

"I thought rumours were just _supposition, not statements of fact_." Nicole's parody amused Harris. "Your client knows it's not my style to play my hand at once."

"Some things never change. " He chimed in. "Like my offer and the advice I gave you years ago. Take it as a kind reminder; some of us work our way into the grave, though I do believe in resurrection. In fact, if I recall correctly you used to call me Marlon."

"That was before you hired a woman whose Aston Martin could pay off my mortgage."

"If, hypothetically, the occasion were to arise whereby the hunter became the hunted," Gail's flowery use of Legalese didn't throw Nicole off track. "My client endeavours to avoid any unfortunate misunderstandings."

"And how could I help with that Marlon?"

"By ascertaining your loyalties early on. I must say I admire your work." The old art dealer used his transatlantic charm.

"Marlon, ever the gentleman."

The Walls family were of Portuguese and English descent. A native of Deptford, South-East London, Marlon's grandfather Harold sold art on the black market from the early 1950s. The family tradition took a more criminal turn in the 1970s when Marlon's parents migrated to America. His father William departed from art to crack cocaine before upgrading to Opium with the cooperation of a Burmese government official. Needless to say, the export expanded to other countries and became a greater financial force; $373 million to be exact. Marlon's childhood was mostly spent in English Public boarding schools, rubbing noses with the children of the "haves" and "the powers that be". With international connections to fill a phone directory and the social networking prowess to sway a national vote the Walls were as of yet untouchable.

She stepped out of one world into another, from the upper-class underworld to the warmth of her $800,000 home.

"So this guy, who may or may not get out, may or may not want to hurt you, if and when he does?"

"Exactly." She sighed; relieved he could understand even though she had no right to tell her husband. "So brush up on your shooting skills."

"I _know_ how to shoot a gun." He said with more than just the typical Leo arrogance. "Why didn't he call?"

"You don't know Landon; he gets off on making people sweat. I learnt a long time ago; a phone call can't make that much impact."

"I meant Antonio."

"He cares about me."

"He doesn't care about boundaries."

"He's my friend."

"A friend who didn't come to our wedding but showed up to bring you bad news, so he can play the hero in what's really your investigation."

"Are you fighting for me or against Antonio?"

"They're one and the same."

"I'm not a love object for you two to duel over."

"I'm not an idiot. He told you face to face because it causes the most disruption; look at us we wouldn't be having this conversation if he hadn't said anything. Nikki, we are capable of defending our family together, right?"

"Of course." The intensity died but as he hugged her she couldn't help but question what this all meant and which side of him she'd managed to see.

Nicole convinced herself not to be paranoid about her husband, especially after he made her and Angela breakfast in bed. If Nina was there she would have given Nicole another of her Electra complex speeches about how she was only attracted to Rashad because he was, in many respects, like her father. On the night before the wedding, she went as far to say she felt he was capable of hurting Nicole, even if he never did. As the butter melted on her tongue and the smell of the sweet waffles teased her nostrils, she put that thought out of her mind. He loved her, he loved their daughter and if anything was wrong, it was outside their home.


	3. Chapter 3

"Alex." The heavy breathing and usage of the wrong name alerted Nicole to who was calling. The 4.30 am call couldn't have come at a worse time, she had only been asleep for two hours and his quiet packing had a strange effect on her. 

"I heard you got your freedom papers Landon." Her voice was still croaky as if the words scratched their way upwards and her throat was made of sandpaper. � 

"That's cute. 

4142 Winnipeg Drive. Three guesses for what that is."

"Your Witness Protection location? What'd you want?" 

"A hideout that didn't go up in flames two hours ago." Her body was erect, all except the one dead leg that was still in night time paralysis. "Again, what do you want?" 

"I want Alex, but for now I'll settle." 

"Settle for what?" 

"An exchange."���������� 

"Call me when you're serious." 

"I am serious!" His shouting gave her body another jolt but he soon calmed down. She figured it was the shock and fear that made his behaviour so erratic. "The one thing standing between me and Wallens Ridge is…" 

"Your testimony." She interrupted. 

"You." He hung up and as she expected, she couldn't go back to sleep. 

�

Everything she said to Rashad that morning as she made Angela's lunch was what she had tried many times to convince herself was true. 

"He called this morning? Why didn't I hear it?" 

"He called my cell." 

"Is that safe?" 

"He probably got it from his lawyer and no, nothing's safe." She paused for a while and what she had just admitted to herself as well as him. "Look, the run-up to a high-profile trial is always like this." 

"Hey," He stopped her from explaining. "I can handle it. I'm used to it, remember?" 

"I remember." 

"So, don't worry about a thing." He kissed her and with that kiss, he masked whatever he was doing or thinking at the time. "Did you call the caterer?" 

"I changed dessert to champagne and truffles; it's more refined." 

"Whatever you want." 

"Can you drive Angie to school today? I really need to get back to the office." 

"And you don't want her to see you stressed out and worried." 

"Mind reader." 

"Sure, I have a nine o'clock nearby anyway." 

"Thanks." Her eyes moved to the case on the granite island counter. "The next time you come home from the gun range, keep that out of reach." He kissed her again, this time for not exploding, and hid it just before he woke their daughter up. 

�

After a brief conversation with A.D. Marshall, Nicole reluctantly told Silvia to let Antonio in for the second time in weeks. 

"What are you doing here?" She asked, drinking coffee with an unstable hand. 

"I came to help. I volunteered." He was glad to see her less in control, she was easier to read that way. 

"I bet you did. Antonio, you couldn't handle it the last two times, why come back for more?" 

"They say the third time's a charm, though not with us evidently." 

"You didn't have to say that." 

"You were thinking it too. If you want me to go back to Seattle I will; but you don't." 

She thought for a while and rolled her eyes at him. "Let's do the work." 

�

After a few hours Antonio was getting comfortable in her office. He read through the forensic reports of the incinerated house as though they had much to say then went through Warfield's long list of accomplishments. The criminal profile made for an interesting read but while doing all this, he stopped once in a while to catch a glimpse at Nicole, like she was his first crush and he was still green.� 

"Warfield won't come for you; you're his lifeline." His obvious attempts at starting a conversation riled her and this was no different. 

"You haven't seen what he does to people when he's through using them, so don't lie for my benefit." 

"I was just trying to give you words of comfort." 

"You're not my husband Antonio. Now, is my cell connected to your whatever-it's-called?" 

"Yeah. It will pick up all signals…" He stopped when she was no longer listening. "Yeah it's ready." 

"Thank you." 

�

A familiar ringtone played and Antonio put on his headphones, motivated by curiosity much more than the greater goal. 

"Do you remember Ricochet?" Landon's absence of a greeting meant he had a few drinks in him. 

"Yeah. We used to dance there every night until Janelle died." 

"Halogen was more your speed." 

"Where is this going?" 

"To Atlantis, hopefully. Until then I'm lying low." 

"There are better places to go." 

"That's what you said to that girl and she died, so don't expect me to believe you. I'll be at that trial." 

"Dead or alive? You need me Landon." She stared into Antonio's eyes. "You always needed me." 

"I need Alex and she needs me." Antonio looked away. 

"She's not real." Nicole argued. 

"So you say." 

�

Landon hung up on her again but the damage was already done. Before Antonio could say anything she grabbed the bull by the horns. 

"I can't do this…" 

"Anymore?" He asked. 

"With you." 

"We've always been capable of working together." 

"I want you off this case; I can't do both. Go back to Seattle Antonio." 

"Why?" 

"Because I can't stand the way your eyes bear into me when I pick up the phone, and how you pretend you still like me after all these years. Just let it go." 

"I don't understand." 

"You don't understand me. Please leave." 

"No." 

"You're free; you don't have to care. Get out!" The door swung open revealing a surprised Silvia who wasn't used to seeing Nicole shouting at anyone. She turned on the plasma screen TV on the wall and the three pairs of eyes were transfixed by the bulletin. 

�

"Renowned business man and international art dealer, Marlon Harris, was hospitalized for poisoning this evening. When found by his girlfriend, swimsuit model Jovia Sable, Harris' state was near-critical however doctors at St. Theresa's Hospital have reported a significant improvement. This shocking attack comes over a week before a trial in which Harris is under allegations of serious, dubious activities…" 

"Turn it off." Nicole ordered. "Silvia, I'll be back around four. If A.D. Marshall calls, tell her I'm on it." She walked past Antonio without saying another word. 

�

"Where's Rashad?" She asked, after her fifth attempt at calling him was answered by his older brother Hasani. 

"At my place." 

Swerving at the nearest U Turn, she burned rubber all the way to Oakland, just to find her husband driving in the same time. Her face demanded an explanation but her mouth couldn't wait until they got inside. "Where have you been? I've been trying to reach you since I left the office." 

"I had to make a stop." 

"Oh, so you left your phone with your brother who lives seventy miles away because?" 

"There are more important things to talk about." 

"Like Angie's whereabouts?" 

"She's at Tahira's." 

"How was I to know that? You know how I feel about," 

"Finding her gone. I know, I'm sorry." 

Hasani stopped watching and opened the front door. "Come inside sis." His eyes flashed at his brother, it was a silencing look that told him he would take care of it. 

�

Landon's third call came while Nicole was getting her much needed workout; it was the only thing stopping her from throttling her husband. 

"I heard about Harris." The earphone in her right ear told her. Her fingers programmed the cycling machine. 

"So did the rest of the free world." 

"Meet me in Detroit. Alex would come." 

"Where's your lawyer?" 

"Around." 

"I can only meet you when he's present." 

"Why, are you scared of a little one on one?" 

"I'm never scared." 

"Good. Touch down in Detroit and I'll give you the place." 

"I'll cap you Landon, don't play me." 

"I believe you Alex; don't jerk me, around that is." He didn't wait for a response before hanging up. 

�

She knew that if Antonio was there he would've urged her to prolong the call but she didn't care about him because he wasn't her husband. So she called the man who was, who propositioned her with lunch at their favourite hotel and although he wouldn't tell her the whole truth she didn't care. She was much happier being the woman on the quiet storm record that played in the background. He worked her slow to Xscape, held on with En Vogue and became Janet Jackson's definition of the sweetest, sharpest rope burn known to man. When he was through finding the hidden gold of the SierraMountains and she had long forgotten what was once worth fighting about, she became irrational. It gave her what she needed, an extended feeling of calm and possibility that she had the intrepid will to meet Landon and took that flight to Detroit. 


	4. Chapter 4

I can't tell you guys how much I'm enjoying writing this scenario especially in this genre. I have a feeling this will be longer than In between the Heartaches but we'll see. Off topic: There's someone who reviews under the name of "A" and for months i've been waiting for a few more letters. joke inside my head, don't laugh...okay not that loudly Back on topic: Thank you all, readers, reviewers and fellow writers alike and anyone who wants songs featured on Missing (see profile) PM me.

Inspirations: Judy Blume, Rainforest Films, Rosa Guy and Eric Jerome Dickey 

Peace 

* * *

**_Detroit_****_, Michigan_******

_The bartender slid another Tequila shot in her direction and under Landon's glare she downed it without revealing how it stung her tongue, raised her temperature or made her toes clench together. _

_"You got a man?" He asked tentatively, remembering how alcohol used to loosen her tongue. _

_"Why?" She responded, looking boldly in his eyes. _

_"You smell like him." _

_"Where's your lawyer?" She asked, changing a subject she knew he wouldn't forget about. _

_"Coming." _

_"Liar. I know you." _

_"And I know you." _

_"You know **Alex**." _

_"I know you're not hungry." _

_"Lucky guess." _

_"Or experience. Sex curbs your appetite. That…and cigarettes." _

_"Like most people." _

_"Why did you come? I could kill you right now." _

_"You wouldn't." _

_"I could." _

_"Between courses? I don't think so." _

_He laughed. "You got me. Now I've got you." _

_"No you don't. You already had Alex, for what it cost me." _

_He leaned in towards her and directed his request at her face and her cleavage. "Let's dance." _

Sacramento, C.A. 

In Nicole's absence, Nina and Angela danced their way around the kitchen to Dazz Band's 'Let it whip'. In Angela, Nina had regained her own daughter in a convoluted way. Although she wasn't her daughter; she loved her unconditionally as all young kids do and served as a constant reminder of what she had missed out on first time around. That was why she spoiled her rotten and could never say no. Deep down Nicole didn't like the idea of her daughter being used as penance but never complained outwardly about it because Rashad's family outnumbered hers and she was responsible for not knowing her paternal family. 

"Your mom used to love this song." 

"Really?" 

"Yeah. She was moody, it was her pick-me-up." 

"Like ice-cream?" 

"Something like that." 

"I miss Mommy." 

"I'm sure she's doing something important, wishing she was here with you." 

_"No more Tequila." _

_Landon put his arm around her for coercion. "Just one more." _

_"Designated driver remember?" _

_"I guess it's time to turn in." _

_"Are we headed in the same direction?" She teased. _

_"Where you are is where I want to be." _

_"Are you going Donell Jones on me?" _

_He laughed at and with her. "Alex, Nicole; there's no difference." _

_"How'd you figure that?" _

_"I looked you up. The only thing stopping you from being Alex is a badge." _

_"And my ethics, my education…" She neglected to mention her family. _

_"Your rationalisation. Alex is…" _

_"Perfect for Landon; unreal." _

_"Let's get out of here." _

Since Nicole kicked him out of her office Antonio had been working on the case even though he knew she wanted nothing less. He was waiting for an opportune time to tell her what he had found, fully aware that she wouldn't want to believe him. Seeing her again had tickled his insecurity and made him question what Rashad had that he didn't; besides the obvious. 

"Hello?" The mild, male voice was unexpected or rather unwanted. 

"It's Antonio. Is Nicole there?" 

"No. Is there anything else?" Rashad's annoyance at Antonio's violation of boundaries flared in his voice. 

"Tell her I called, I'm worried." 

"Like hell you are. Listen, she's fine. Your mind games don't work on her." 

"I care about her still." 

"_I_ take care of Nicole. We have a family." 

"We have a history; you can't erase that." 

"And you can't leave it alone. She doesn't want you here." 

"The Nicole I know can speak for herself." 

"Then you must be hard of hearing because she made that crystal clear at the office." 

"How would you know?" 

"I know everything there is to know about her; she's _my_ wife." 

"I know her." Antonio said, thinking of a riposte to silence him. 

"You don't know she can sing or why she doesn't or why she saved your life that night. _I_ know all about Sam Lewis, what she did and didn't do with Landon Warfield and how you always judged her. So let her go." His command was the sting after the slice of the knife. 

"What if I don't?" 

"Ask Harris." 

His sinister statement preceded the dial tone from his hanging up. The tension in his face was softened by Angela's head, poking through the door to the study. 

"Was that Mommy?" She asked. He opened the door fully and picked her up. 

"No. If it was I would've called you precious." He kissed her on the cheek, sending a chill through Nina's body. She had overheard the whole conversation and recalled the times Ray did the same to a very young Nicole, whenever she saw him hit her mother. It was times like that that she wished Nicole knew she wasn't being spiteful, she had genuine concern. In her mind, men who were social chameleons were capable of anything but Nicole wouldn't accept that where Rashad was concerned because he wasn't her father. 

"It's time for bed. Brush your teeth; I'll be up in a minute. Unless you want to put her to bed?" 

Nina hugged her granddaughter and declined. "No, I have to be up early. Be good and if you have to be bad..." 

"Have fun." Angela finished her sentence. 

She flashed him a knowing look before leaving. "Goodnight." 

The long shower she took to forget about the previous night was the only therapy she indulged in when she arrived home. With five days left to the trial she longed for a time when she wasn't involved. Since that was impossible to attain, she thought forward to when it would all be over and she could return to whatever counted as normal in her own life. She sang 'Use your heart' by SWV for the fifth time before stepping out of the steamy shower to find Rashad waiting in his gym clothes in the kitchen. 

"Why didn't you join me?" She asked, still wrapped in a towel and snatching the bills from his hands. 

"No reason." He took the credit card bill she was trying to hide. "I can't believe you spent four grand on shoes." 

"I can't believe _you_ can't believe I spent four grand on shoes." 

"I thought we were saving for a bigger house." 

"Was that before or after you bought a Chrysler?" 

He dropped the subject. "Antonio called last night." 

"What'd he want?" 

"To talk I guess." 

"You were rude to him. Weren't you?" 

"I was blunt." 

"Then that makes two of us. Hey, what are you doing here at one in the afternoon?" 

"With all this overtime, I needed a day off…to decompress." He gently sucked on her bottom lip. "You should try it sometime." 

She laughed. "Fat chance." 

Antonio finally got a hold of her at the office when she was pulling an all-nighter with Agents from another investigation she was running. 

"Nic, I know you don't want to talk to me." 

"I'm sorry." The shock silenced him. "I shouldn't have taken my frustration out on you." 

"It's okay. This isn't easy to say." 

"Neither is supercalifragilisticexpialidocious." 

"I get your point. I ran the security tapes from Marlon Harris's office." 

She exhaled with impatience. "You're _off_ the case." 

"Your husband's on the tape." He blurted out. 

"pardon me?" 

"From 8.55 to 9.30 a.m. you can check for yourself, I'm sorry Nic." 

"Can you do me a favour?" 

"What's that?" 

"Stop calling." She hung up with zeal and went back to the bullpen where the exhausted agents crowded around the Chinese food on the table. 

Nina gave her 'I told you so' facial expression when she told her over lunch. 

"I told you he was trouble. All you had to do was walk away. Look at his eyes; just _shady_." 

"Mom." Nicole said to stop her. 

"What do you want me to say?" 

"Nothing. You don't think he…?" 

"Is ruthless? Yes." 

"You're enjoying this. Why?" 

Nina ignored the question at hand. "Baby he's looking out for you because that's the man Antonio is." 

"A married man with three and a half kids is what he is. Look I don't care. We'll work it out; we always do." 

"Spoken like a true Chambers." 

Nicole took immediate offence at the mention of her mother's real surname. "Don't say that." 

"You sound like my mother; always trying to fix something that was born broken." 

"_We_ weren't." 

"Fine. Play that role. I know you're the ride-or-die type, to the wire and all that so you won't listen, but I won't stop talking." 

"Like you ever do!" 

"That's right." Nina flicked back her hair. "Ask him. Ask him and I bet he'll deny it." 

_After hours at the club they retreated to the leather seats of her rented car. His hand slid from its comfortable resting spot on her knee up to her thigh. _

_"Landon." She said with an inkling of warning in her tone. "I'm not one of your conjugal visits." _

_"So what did your man say about you coming here? Or did you have another fit of that Chronic lying disease?" _

_"Cute, where are you going next?" _

_"I told you; to Atlantis if I have my way." _

_"And **when** you don't?" _

_"**If**." _

_"**When**." _

_"I'll figure something out. _

_"No you won't." She said with resolve. _

"What's wrong?" Rashad asked with concern, bringing her back to consciousness by caressing her neck. 

"I can't wait for it to all be over, that's all." 

"It already is." His eyes locked with hers and she couldn't get over how ominous he sounded. 

"Why did you meet with Marlon Harris?" 

"Are you trailing me?" 

"No, it just came to my attention. Do you work with him?" 

"He owns the Conference Hall." 

"Oh. Did he seem jumpy to you?" 

"No and he shouldn't have, seeing as I went to pay him. He was cordial, as usual." 

"Alright." She conceded, still deciding whether she believed him or not. "There's something I have to tell you. It's about Landon." 

The look in his eyes changed from understanding to puzzled to suspicious. "You didn't."


	5. Chapter 5

So I'm back with another chapter and yes this will be longer than IBTH. Thanks for the feedback. I urge you all to make up your own minds about what's going on and keep reading over the chapters to get a well-rounded feel for what they're all about. My cultured tongue craves baklava as I post this but it's more important that you enjoy this chapter and sink your teeth in. Peace.

* * *

_The cornflakes rustled as she made Angela's breakfast. That lone sound reverberated since he wasn't speaking to her, or at least saying anything she wanted to hear. His entrance was followed without a greeting or a kiss; he was still reeling from the night before._

_"I said I was sorry." Her statement fell on deaf ears. "I don't know what else to say." He looked at her then walked past her to make coffee. "You've got to understand me, sometimes things happen that we don't expect. I needed to see him so I could understand what we were up against."_

_"We? We weren't at risk, you were; on purpose."_

_"Landon Warfield is like a cancer; if you don't cut him out completely he'll keep coming back."_

_"Is that an invitation?" He asked coarsely before regretting it. "Are coming to the conference tonight?"  
"Of course; it's your thing."_

_"With this trial coming up I need to know that you won't compromise your safety any more than you already have, especially since Harris is fit to take the stand." He handed her the newspaper and left with his coffee, in a fairly milder mood._

Landon Warfield was dead. That's what the news broadcasts told her in varied registers employing different rhetoric. The urgent email on her Blackberry said the same. That morning, waking after her husband's successful conference, a cold wind was breathed into her body and travelled down every road inside her. The body was found half a mile away from the Conference Hall where she sipped Champagne and rubbed noses the previous night. It was a night of strange happenings that could be said to have started when she spotted Desmond Walls on the veranda.

_She tapped his shoulder. "Desmond."_

_"Agent Williams, forgive my formality. Nicole." He shook her hand._

_"What brings you here?"_

_"It's my job to stay on top of all things current. As I can see your husband is loved in our community. A modern-day hero."_

_"He does what he can."_

_"I could say the same of you. The man or the myth; in which do you believe?"_

_"The truth is what I believe in." She retorted before joining everyone in the Main Hall. It was all a blur, she could see through the lights of the chandelier and her senses were numbed by the champagne. _

The word of his death only served to make her anxious and she couldn't explain why. On further reflection she realised this situation pitted her and Marlon Harris against each other and it was her turn to decide whether she would risk her life, as he put it, to bring him down. It was time to evaluate how idle his threat was if at all.

_Rashad put his arm around her for the first time that day and it felt good although it was just to pose for pictures. She endured the awkward situation, all the while thinking it was quite callous to have to portray something that wasn't real. _

_"You look beautiful." He said for the third or fourth time that evening, making her pull away. He followed her down a narrow corridor, calling her name in vain. _

_"You never said you knew Gail. Gail Prescott?" The accusation in her tone was instinctive. _

_"I met her at M.I.T., sophomore year." He explained. "Can you come downstairs?" Her facial expression read; no chance. "If you're made about last night, I'm not going to apologise. Whatever the motive, you were still wrong. You can't fear someone's imposition in our lives then actively pursue them. Did you want him to kill you?"_

_"Unbelievable." She walked further, though her heels weren't made for walking. _

_"Wait a minute. Can't we talk about this later? You said you wanted to come, to support me."_

_"My toes are **bleeding**. That's support."_

_"Alright so come downstairs and,"_

_"I'm not a doll. What is she doing here?"_

_"I don't know."_

_"You **do** know, and how much? **That** scares me."_

_"I can't do this right now. Can you please come downstairs?"_

_"I can." He exhaled. "When I'm good and ready." He returned to the Main Hall alone. _

_Her cell phone rang while she was pacing. The balls of her feet pulsated as she made small steps on the wood to relieve the discomfort. _

_"Hello?"_

_"Nic, it's me. I'm sorry."_

_"For?"_

_"Getting involved, I should have left you to deal with it. You were right, you didn't need me."_

_"Antonio,"_

_"I'm content, I have the life I've always wanted but I never had you."_

_"Sure you did; for a time."_

_"No not like that. I wanted to protect you, I tried at least, but you have to do this on your own."_

_"Do what?"_

_"Don't make me answer. Don't draw me in."_

_"Draw you in? I couldn't keep you out if I tried."_

_"At this point we have nothing to say to each other. Nothing good anyway." _

_"The love was real." She blurted out; knowing he was ready to go and for once that dial tone didn't hurt. _

_"If he's smart he won't believe that." A familiar voice spoke over her shoulder. The cold steel found its way through her hair to the skin that barely covered her skull. _

Rashad imposed on her mid-afternoon thoughts by checking in on her and narrating the local news excerpt on him.

"I saw it. I'm glad it worked out for you."

"For _us_."

"Your career flourishes while my case falls apart. So enjoy that good press because when they start speculating,"

"I did not kill that man."

"So who were you shooting at? You followed me. Are you crazy?"

"I had your back that's all."

"When it comes to people like him the last thing I want is you playing the superhero; even if your intentions are good." He pretended to concede but she knew better. "Do you believe how dangerous he is now?"

"Was." He corrected. "Isn't that one less problem for you?"

"No!" She exclaimed. "Do you think because Landon's dead everything just goes away? This case will drag on for years and eventually when it's thrown out of court all the work would have been in vain."

"Nikki, you were _there_. He wasn't dead when we left."

"I know. This is just the beginning of my problems."

"I thought your mind was made up; you wanted to proceed with the trial."

"Marlon Harris is probably sipping a Yoo Hoo through a straw right now, getting a sponge bath from his jailbait girlfriend and laughing his wrinkly ass off. On another note you look good on TV."

He took her hand. "I'm sorry Nicole."

"Ironically it's not you I'm mad at. I have some important calls to make."

"Are you kicking me out?"

"No. I'll be home for dinner but there's a lot to tie up before then."

Nina attacked the chopping board with what she privately called the 'husband killer'. The spring onions, fresh herbs and asparagus weren't safe. Nicole stood back and mixed her a drink.

"How did you learn all this food? Nigerian, Ethiopian, Italian, Cambodian, Lebanese…"

"Don't forget Guyanese, Creole and Irish."

"So what's the secret?"

"I've dated a _lot_ of men."

"Oh." Nicole filled the kitchen with the rattling sound of the blender.

"I'm not like you Nikki; I've got to have something new. For me, commitment is airtight and once I was free I _never_ went back there again." She snapped the head off the lobster with ease. "It's all in the wrist, take note."

"I am."

"See, you have a husband and a child and you'll be content with that in ten, twenty, forty years time because it's what you want. I was over it within weeks and you know that had nothing to do with you; I wasn't invested. _You_ are and that scares me."

"He'll never be Antonio Mom. After all these years you should have stopped judging him by now."

"What I think has nothing to do with Antonio."

"Yes it does because he's the anti-Ray and that makes him safe. It makes you safe. Didn't it ever occur to you that the arrogance, charm, bravado and fearlessness are things I love in a man even if you didn't?"

"Those are dangerous attributes in the wrong situation. Fearlessness and arrogance become a lack of control and remorse. Charm gets him back in the door and bravado keeps him in."

"In your mind it makes him a threat but for me it makes him an equal, and I'll never turn my back on him. Unlike your precious Antonio did to me."

Nina rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Boil that linguini." She expended all her restraint in not asking Nicole whether her desperation to hold her family together was so strong that she denied what was in front of her face.


	6. Chapter 6

I'm so eager to end this because of other constraints going on in my life. While attempting to do this I didn't want to let down my readers so (unfortunately) it took longer than it expected. I'm telling you all this because I'm set for a long hiatus and I want you to all be satisfied with an actual conclusion instead fo leaving you hanging. Like I said, I urge you all to make up your own minds and decide what happened as things tend to be conditional as opposed to fixed and unchanging. That's not to say I don't enjoy it or appeciate all of you because I do very much.

Peace x

* * *

"Burning the midnight oil?" She asked over his shoulder. The computer was still buzzing and rattling at two in the morning but his drive was something she was attracted to because she saw it in herself.

"Hey stranger. I almost forgot what you looked like. What's up?"

"That night when you asked me if we can defend our family together, what did you mean?"

He started to close down the programs. "I don't want anyone to come between us. I've always known Antonio meant a lot to you but when it comes to us and our family; we should take precedence, not him."

"You don't have to compete." She locked her arms around his neck.

"I know that now." He didn't even have to look at her to know that the facial expression she wore demanded an explanation. "Antonio called me before the conference."

"He knew Landon was coming for me?"

He held on to her hand. "That's what he said and that's why I was prepared."

"You went back there that night; to kill him." What could have been a question came out as a statement of fact and she forced her hand out of his clutch.

"He was already dead Nikki."

"What if he wasn't? What would you have done?"

"I wish I knew. All I know is; I don't want to lose you and even the thought of that possibility is enough to drive me insane. I love you to death but that doesn't make me a killer." His fingers found their way in between hers again.

The morning after gave her a hangover that could only have been psychosomatic. It made her hug her precocious daughter with a touch of desperation when she dropped her off at school. Emotions overlapped inside her as she waited in the elevator. Angst was boiling in her stomach; she had never been to Harris' office before. Their previous meetings had always been in more plush surroundings. The subpoena she was wielding in her right hand was whipping against the air like a fan. Though whatever hopes she had of confronting him were thwarted by the piercing scream of Jovia Sable. Marlon Harris was dead.

"I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree." Nina sneered over lunch.

"Do you _want_ to be right?"

"Antonio wouldn't lie." She replied casually.

"So you'd rather believe Antonio's conspiracy theories if they destroy my life than process the fact that he doesn't love me anymore?"

"He _does_ love you."

"Get real. Life was better when we didn't talk at all; I was content knowing he had found what he was looking for. He deserved to be free of me."  
"So what did you deserve?"

"To find someone who accepts me. He didn't. The greatest heartache didn't come when he broke up with me; I felt it most when all he saw in me was dissatisfaction."

"He wanted you back but _you_ chose Rashad."

"I gained a beautiful life in the process. He's not worth breaking it apart."

"Oh? So if he means nothing to you, why can't you look him in the eyes?"

"What has he been telling you?"

"Nothing I couldn't have guessed. If you want to end it all you need his help."

"I don't need his anything. "

"More fool you."

His eyes darted around her office again. "Am I missing something?" She asked; annoyed that Nina made her eat her words and invite him back in a matter of hours.

"It's not very _you_."

"What does that mean, Queer Eye?"

"Cute. What happened to the Red, Black and Green colour scheme?"

"The fist was too intimidating." She tried not to laugh but a smile was cracked albeit unwillingly. "What are we doing here Antonio?"

"Working. The files will be up soon so…I don't know. Something in me wanted to see you and my better judgement tells me to…"

"Run like hell?"

"Walk away."

"That's what I want too. So let's just have it out."

"Okay, shoot."

"Do you resent me?"

"Much less than I used to. You made me feel I was wrong for loving you." He paused for a while. "Does he make you as happy as I think he does?"

"What do you mean?"

"Does he make you happier than I did?"

"Yes. If you…if _we_ had the chance to do it all over again, would you?"

"No Nicole."

"Thank you." She exhaled. "You know for being honest."

"You've got to feel the same. All these years later you've proven you were right to say you didn't need me because you don't."

"I need you for forensics." Her light joke did nothing to reduce the tension.

"That's not what I meant and you know it. I wasn't irreplaceable; you were waiting for something new, someone to give you what you needed."

"You wanted that too; especially the last part. That's why you broke up with me, remember? So are you done?"

"There's one more thing; what will you do if Rashad's hands are unclean?"

"Honestly?"

"Please."

"What would you do? Would you leave everything you've built, walk away from someone you love so deeply it's second nature and deny everything you've come to live by?"

"I'm not in your place."

"Of course not. We have a life together Antonio; I don't get to fly back to Seattle to my undisturbed family."

"Are you blaming me?"

"I'm stating the facts; your family's not at stake here."

"I was watching your back because I care for you!"

"Well you've done a lot more than that in such a short time Antonio. I've known you again for two weeks and everything you've said has given room to doubting Rashad; for all I know _you_ could've killed Landon. You've got as much motive as he does, maybe more. You're not innocent Antonio; stop playing the saint."

"You're impossible; you always were. So I guess he's the only man on Earth who can deal with you and your albatross."

"At least he doesn't bathe in my vulnerability; it doesn't validate him or give him purpose."

"Why did you bother?"

"Excuse me?"

"What was the point of killing Sam Lewis?"

"I wanted you to live. I figured you deserved that much with or without me." She finally got out of her seat. "After this is over; we owe it to each other never to speak again. Like you said; we have nothing good to say to each other anyway."

_Hours later._

"This is ridiculous." Gail said with the grease in her hair was frying her ringlets into a disorganised matted mass of colliding waves. She and Nicole had been in the interrogation room for hours.

"I looked into your track record. The last two years haven't treated you well. Your sources on the East Coast dried up so you through you'd head west, start over, and rebuild that reputation of yours, but it's not the nineties. A sharp suit and a gimmick wouldn't get your Harris off this time."

"I don't use gimmicks."

"They why did you purchase an Aston Martin when you haven't made that kind of money in years? You live in the Hills but you're renting. It's not a good look Gail, is it?"

"If that's all the motive you've got then I'll take my chances in court. I'm sure I can withstand any false charges you hold against me."

"Are you sure about that? This isn't the first time I've been set up. You applied some pressure at our meeting that didn't work. I didn't back down from the case and Harris was unhappy; you weren't performing like your pay check demanded so you had a stroke of genius. You'd pay Landon to bump me off and put an end to your problems, the case would collapse and you'd win the graces of one of the most influential men in those circles."

"Prove it."

"I'm getting there. When Landon failed you, you couldn't let him tae the stand and expose you. So you killed him; shot him dead after our little altercation. It all makes sense. Desmond Walls, Landon Warfield, Marlon Harris, Nicole Williams and Rashad Williams; they all connect through you. Warfield may have died a free man but it's just a matter of time before you take his place. Maybe at Wise County; they miss you back east." Nicole got up from her seat.

"Give your husband my compliments, he was determined back then though I never knew how much."

What was once a bittersweet denouement to an exhausted love affair had been transformed into an effervescent, refreshing feeling of jubilance and relief. Though idyllic in former times the coupling of Nicole and Antonio was out of sync and had no chance of happiness. So with a formality that didn't reflect everything they had once endured, he gave her the answers she wanted, the truths that she needed and watched her walk back to a life without him. Where she was of if she was at risk was no longer his concern; she was no longer seated in the crevices of his heart, holding it together. It was Xiomara who made it beat.


End file.
